In this post we will begin a brief review of the ground cover species that are available in our nursery.
One of the problems our clients present to us is how to replace lawn areas or how to cover spaces with some type of species that is walkable, covers the ground and at the same time meets the requirements of sustainable gardening, that is, rationalizing and minimizing the use of external resources in the construction of a garden (water, fertilizers and phytosanitary products) as well as using both organic (bark) and inorganic (gravel or volcanic earth) covering materials.
Below we will review one by one the most important species available at Sala Graupera.
The genus Achillea comprises three very interesting species to act as a lawn substitute: A. coarctata, A. crithmifolia and A. tomentosa.
Image of Achillea coarctata. Source: plantes-web.fr
They are rhizomatous plants of the Asteraceae family and native to the Mediterranean region. These are perennial species with alternate and very serrated leaves. A. coarctata blooms twice a year, from May to June and from October to November. A. crithmifolia and A. tomentosa bloom in spring, their flowers grouped in capitula are very small, yellow in color in A. coarctata and A. tomentosa, and white in A. crithmifolia. They are all wider than they are tall, which is why they are ground covers. It is a genus very resistant to cold, it belongs to hardiness zone number 7, with an annual minimum average temperature range of -17.7 / -12.3°C, so it can tolerate very strong frosts.
Image of Achillea crithmifolia. Source: forumgratuit.org
Its preferred location is in full sun, although A. crithmifolia tolerates partial shade. It develops well in both sandy and clayey and heavy soils as long as they have good drainage. It is very important not to have waterlogging to ensure the proper functioning of the species.
Image of Achillea tomentosa. Source: gobotany.newenglandwild.org
From Sala Graupera, we recommend using a planting density of 4 to 6 units for A. coarctata and A. crithmifolia, and 6 to 8 units for A. tomentosa.
In the case of these Achillea, frequent trampling is not recommended, as it only tolerates occasional stepping for maintenance tasks.
Often there are lawn areas in the shade that have poor development. Acorus gramineus ‘Hakuro Nishiki’ is a very good alternative for this type of situation. It is a ground cover species of the Acoraceae family native to Japan. It has evergreen foliage and resembles grasses due to the shape of its linear leaves. It is an interesting species for the green color of its leaves since its flowering is not of interest. It reaches a height of 10 to 20 centimeters high by 10 to 15 centimeters wide.
It is a species with little cold resistance, it belongs to hardiness zone number 10, with an annual minimum average temperature range of -1.1 / +4.4°C, so we could say that it does not tolerate frost. As already mentioned, it is a shade-tolerant species. It develops well in both sandy and clayey and heavy soils. It tolerates drought but prefers occasional watering, especially during the 8-10 weeks after planting; once well rooted, it requires some occasional watering. It is recommended to plant this species in autumn, so that the following summer will not be so difficult for it.
Image of Acorus gramineus ‘Hakuro Nishiki’. Source: www.pepilacdesjoncs.com
To obtain aesthetic effects quickly, we recommend planting 8 to 10 plants per square meter, as it is a slow-growing species.
In this first post we have detailed some examples of perennial plant species that we recommend to replace lawns and that when used in your gardens will pleasantly surprise you.